Tourism bosses in Portland have taken out a full-page advert in the New York Times admitting the riot-hit city has an 'edge' - but urging visitors to come anyway.
Travel Portland - a nonprofit which oversees the Oregon city's tourism marketing - referenced reports of far-left violence in the city in the ad.
It admits that much of what has been said about Portland - whose 50-strong riot squad resigned last week - was true, and that the city, which endures nightly riots, has an 'edge.'
‘You’ve heard a lot about us lately,’ the NYT ad begins. ‘It’s been a while since you’ve heard from us.'
‘Some of what you’ve heard about Portland is true. Some is not. What’s most important is that we’re true to ourselves.'
'There's a river that cuts through the middle of our town. It divides the east and the west. But it's bridged - over and over again. Twelve times, to be specific. And that's kind of a great metaphor for this city.'
The advert goes on to highlight Portland's problems - and implies that locals don't mind the out-of-control behavior that has made much of the city's downtown area a no-go zone after dark
It says: 'We're a place of dualities that are never polarities. Two sides of the same coin that keeps landing right on its edge. Anything can happen. We like it this way.
'This is the kind of place where new ideas are welcome - whether they're creative, cutting-edge or curious at first glance. You can speak up here. You could be yourself here.'
'We have some of the loudest voices on the West Coast. And yes, passion pushes the volume all the way up. We've always been like this. We wouldn't have it any other way.'
'We have faith in the future. We’re building it every day the only way we know how, by being Portland. Come see for yourself.’
A full-page advertisement for the city of Portland appeared in Sunday’s New York Times paper
Travel Portland posted a video to its Youtube channel to coincide with the ad
Travel Portland said the ad, which voices over different Portland landscapes and scenes, will advertise the city throughout the summer and encourage overnight stays at local hotels and short-term rentals
The commercial includes over 30 local chefs, merchants, athletes, performers and artists
Towards the end of the video, it reveals a few clips and images of peaceful Black Lives Matter protests
Travel Portland's accompanying advert included footage from a Black Lives Matter protest
Travel Portland said the ad is part of a campaign called 'This is Portland,' which will advertise the city throughout the summer and encourage overnight stays at local hotels and short-term rentals, reported KOIN. The campaign will run through August and will target leisure travelers in the West Coast cities of Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
Travel Portland posted a video to its YouTube channel to coincide with the ad. Most of the narration is the same as the ad and voices over different Portland landscapes and scenes. The commercial includes over 30 local chefs, merchants, athletes, performers and artists.
Towards the end of the video, it reveals a few clips and images of peaceful Black Lives Matter protests over which a narrator says, ‘And yeah, we have some of the loudest voices on the West Coast. Sometimes passion pushes the volume all the way up. We’ve always been like this.’
ProPublica reporter Alec MacGillis shared the ad in a tweet, which had a mixed bag of reactions.
A Twitter user named Cyber Westphalia
